Project Restore: A Place of Hope

by Kaylee Gernandt
summer intern to The Awakening

Last week, while a majority of The Awakening team was in Hungary for EuroQuest, I was given the opportunity to travel to the east coast to stay in a safe home for human trafficking survivors. This home is a part of Project Restore which is, “a non-profit ministry existing to provide a safe and healthy home environment where hope and Christ-centered love collide to offer complete healing and restoration of survivors of human trafficking.” It was my pleasure to get to see first-hand how this safe home was run. I was nervous going in because I wondered what the girls staying there would think of me intruding on their lives, but I could not have been more mistaken. The girls welcomed me with smiles and hugs and I quickly realized that they were as excited to have me as I was to be there.

Much of the schedule for each week is planned in advance so that the girls will get to participate in different activities. Some of the things that I participated in were Equine Therapy, Grief Share group, classroom time, and even free time when we were given the option to choose a fun activity to do as a group. Equine therapy was definitely a new experience for me because we didn’t ride the horses but instead fed them, groomed them, and learned how some of their training is done. All of the horses at this stable had been rescued and it was easy to tell that the girls had already made deep connections with certain horses.

Grief Share was a group for those who had lost one or multiple loved ones whether to death or other circumstances and this group consisted of people from the community. For classroom time, the girls were currently working through a DVD series by John Bevere called “The Bait of Satan” which discussed ways to keep from taking offense and trying to avenge ourselves when we have been wronged. I liked that there was a variety of activities and options that the residents could choose from in addition to what was required of everyone.

My favorite part of the week was when the girls and I had a sleepover in the living room and watched movies and ate popcorn. The whole week was truly a blessing by getting to watch these strong women seek after and worship Jesus. It is so encouraging to see their ability to talk about their past with the assurance that it will not dictate their future. I am excited to see the fruit of Project Restore and I cannot wait to see what the residents are able to do to assist others who have survived human trafficking.